30,000 march in rain to seek Jadavpur VC’s scalp

Student power — unarmed and peaceful — stamped its worth in emphatic fashion just three days after the authorities had tried to silence it with police force.

TNN | Updated: Sep 21, 2014, 03:28 IST

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30,000 march in rain to seek J...

KOLKATA: Student power — unarmed and peaceful — stamped its worth in emphatic fashion just three days after the authorities had tried to silence it with police force. If you were anywhere near rain-drenched Esplanade on Saturday evening, it was very hard not to get drawn into the bustling, singing, cheering crowd of youngsters.
Some 30,000 people marched in pouring rain, to the tune of catchy slogans, songs and music from mouth-organs and empty water bottles. Tollywood celebs, intellectuals, IT and BPO employees, alumni and students of other institutions, middle-aged men and women, Puja shoppers — they poured in from all over the state to be part of this unprecedented march for justice.

The protesters occupied Mayo Road for five hours to say a resounding ‘NO’ to the dead-of-the-night police crackdown at Jadavpur University. And just when it was looking as if they would stay put for the night, they put off the stir till Monday after governor Keshari Nath Tripathi assured them that he would act as an impartial arbitrator.

It was a sign that student politics in Kolkata — always a spearhead of restless energy — has come of age. The rallyists marched to their own tune but were careful not to hit any wrong notes. They showed the courage to take on the establishment but the maturity to step back and give the governor a chance to keep his word.

In a way, the chancellor could do what the JU vice-chancellor couldn’t. Tripathi brokered peace by promising that he would independently hold an inquiry and take steps accordingly. What’s important is that he made the students feel that he meant every word. He spoke to student representatives for over two hours and told them that he has gathered reports from all concerned — JU teachers, the VC, police commissioner — and won’t hesitate to “undo things” if he found that something had gone wrong with the university.

The chancellor advised the agitating students to go back to their classrooms. They agreed, but with the parting message they will be back at JU on Monday to chart out their next course. Students stick to their demand for the VC’s ouster and urged the governor to find out if the pro-VC and university registrar were party to calling police to campus though they have given statements saying that they didn’t approve of it.

The governor, however, didn’t commit anything in public. “You know better what happened that day,” he said, reporters asked him for his reaction to the police crackdown. The seven students who met him, though, sounded positive about the outcome. “The governor spoke to us on each of our demands and has endorsed them in principle. He told us that he has no hard feelings towards our movement and that he is gathering reports and will hold an independent inquiry. He also promised to take steps if someone was found on the wrong side,” said Faculty of Engineering and Technology Students’ Union (Fetsu) general secretary Chiranjit Basu.

Actors Swastika Mukherjee and Rii and Playright Suman Mukherjee joined the march. The usually bubbly Swastika was grim. “Seeing such a huge student gathering, I could not stay at home. I am a former JU student. But even if I had been illiterate, I would have joined the march because the cause deserves everyone’s moral support,” she said. “If we don’t protest the attack on students, we would be failing in our duty as citizens,” Suman said.

It was clear on Saturday that the JU movement has broken political and generation barriers and that the administration cannot afford to ignore it. Police walked quietly alongside the rally. There wasn’t a single lathi to be seen. A bevy of senior officers — including five DCs, the joint CP and special CP — were there to ensure there was no provocation from police.

Saturday’s student showdown was unique on many counts. It sets to rest the criticism that youngsters are glued to the “virtual world” and are least bothered about what is happening around them. On the contrary, students used social media to mobilise the movement and also coined new slogans — like “Alimuddin shukiye kath, amader shotru Kalighat (Alimuddin is dead wood, our enemy is Kalighat) — that may give sleepless nights to mainstream political parties. Unlike the Naxalite movement of the ’70s, students didn’t resort to violence. They have paved the way for a new genre of student movement.

#ELECTIONSWITHTIMES

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